Job Training Study

With the President’s proposed American Jobs Act, pending reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, and continued national discussion about economic and labor market recovery, decision-makers at the local, state, and federal level can learn from the experiences of former job training participants whose employment preparation was paid for in whole or part by public programs.

The policy highlights and research paper present findings from a study conducted by the Utah Department of Workforce Services to evaluate the state’s rendering of job training services over a four-year period. The study seeks to answer the question, “Are former job seekers better off because they received publicly funded job training services?”

To address this question, researchers utilized specialized statistical techniques to compare the employment outcomes of those with training to a group of job seekers that share many individual attributes in common but did not receive training. 

• Is Job Training Justified? by John Krantz and Carrie Mayne

  The research paper includes all information about the data, methodology, control group selection, results, and potential implications on service delivery.

• Policy Brief: a short summary of major findings including observations which offer some insights to improving employment outcomes among job trainees

For more information about Utah’s job training study, please contact the authors Carrie Mayne (801-526-9721) or John Krantz (801-526-9403).